The exclusive TED Conference is coming up next week, in both Long Beach & Palm Springs, California, Feb 27 – Mar 2, 2012.

Coffee Common, a group that brings together world-class baristas and roasters, will be providing all the coffee service, with La Marzocco representing as the exclusive equipment provider (through the espresso machines, grinders (Mazzer) and hot water devices (Marco)).

The beautiful coffees will be served by sharply dressed baristas, done up in vests, ties, dresses and sweaters – hotness.

Quoting Brent Fortune, from Coffee Common:

“Each coffee roaster submitted a sample of their coffee which was then cupped for clarity and taste. Those who met the taste criteria were researched for sustainability, price transparency, and directness.

The coffees are being roasted by their respective roasters in Canada, Australia and the USA, and will be traveling to Long Beach [and Palm Springs] this week to meet us there.”

“Coffee Common brings together world-class baristas and roasters with shared values, to create unique experiences that introduce people to the nuanced joys of exceptional coffee. We believe that great coffee is, at its best, a collaboration of an empowered coffee farmer, an artisan coffee roaster, a dedicated barista, and an enlightened consumer.” –coffeecommon.com

From January 19th through 22nd, Coffee Common held their first public event in North America at A Startup Store in Chelsea. A selection of the world’s best baristas gathered to make delicious coffee and help people understand how they can too. Demand for quality coffee is on the rise, but a market filled with strange devices and alien vernacular can sometimes be intimidating. Luckily Coffee Common assembled a crew of local and international baristas who ensured that each attendee walked away equipped with the fundamentals of delicious coffee. In addition to engaging demo stations, baristas were on hand to answer any questions, whilst serving some of the best coffees currently available from around the country.

We credit and thank Coffee Common for the first two photos, and Scott Beale/Laughing Squid (laughingsquid.com)for the last three photos.

Each bar, or demo station, featured a different focus on ingredients, method, and taste. The guests enjoyed learning the differences between coffee varieties and brew methods, while discussing all the details of brewing a great cup of coffee.

@ the Method& Bar step-by-step displays were shown on how to brew your own coffee. One could choose from one of four brew methods: Chemex, Aeropress, Hario V60 Pour Over or Hario Wood Neck Brewer, and from one of five delicious coffees (Counter Culture Coffee, Intelligentsia, Heart Coffee Roasters, Ritual Coffee, Gimme! Coffee).

@ the Taste& Bar each coffee was prepared the same way so people could immediately see the differences in flavors.

“Of course, making coffee for a lot of people required a lot of hot water, with the help of La Marzocco USA we had things covered. They provided us with Marco Ecoboiler water towers and the Uber-esque under counter boiler to keep our kettles full and the baristas brewing non-stop.” – coffeecommon.com

If you haven’t gotten the chance yet, check out coffeecommon.com. This site is dedicated to sharing common values held by the coffee community. They believe that “great coffee requires study, experimentation, craftsmanship, and humility”, along with the idea that coffee is “an experience worth sharing”.

Just this past week Coffee Common chose to launch their brand at TED, which has long been the home of ideas worth spreading. The participating coffee enthusiasts included a variety of roasters and baristas, along with our help to provide the espresso machines, most of the grinders and water towers.

Being at TED was a great time to share information, be in association with everyone there and to support some great partnerships.

A sincere thank you goes out to Coffee Common for their extremely nice post written on their site.